Like plenty of others in advertising, Paige Campbell, president and partner at Grady Britton, didn’t necessarily expect to end up in the industry.

A fine arts major, she was “terrified of becoming a starving artist” and took a design class at the University of Oregon’s journalism school. (Fun fact: Campbell was the mascot for the Oregon Ducks)

From there, Campbell ended up at the front desk of a small agency and, over time, from job to job, evolved into her current role at the Portland, Oregon-based indie.

In her element juggling multiple things at one time, Campbell is natural team-builder and has built a culture at the agency that keeps people there for long times, bucking the trend of talent moving from one place to another.

Balance is a crucial part of keeping work and life on track for Campbell, especially when change, a constant in advertising, arises. Additionally, knowing ones self is something that she preaches, as it helps unravel the process of career direction and success — providing a foundation of purpose.

Campbell has strong opinions about what needs to change in the agency world for it to thrive, noting that pitching is still a relatively arcane practice and one that is ripe for substantial disruption. To that end, Grady Britton makes it a point to not necessarily pitch, but rather to fully understand a potential client’s business which can lead to stronger overall results.

An open, selfless leader, and one of Portland's most respected industry professionals, Campbell cares deeply about the people that make Grady Britton. Additionally, she is in tune with her responsibility to the community and the greater world at large, and constantly believes that, yes, marketing can make a meaningful contribution as long as they are “helping the good guys” of the world win.

In the end, though, to Campbell, it all comes down to integrity — knowing that feeling good about the work, done in the most honest way, is the smartest way to not only run a business, but to live as well.

Exceptional Women of the World is a podcast that highlights and celebrates the great achievements, lives and POV of amazing women throughout the world of advertising, marketing, digital, tech and creativity. Started as Exceptional Women Out West, you can listen to previous episodes here. If you would like to nominate exceptional women to be part of the show, please complete this form: http://bit.ly/EWOWPitch.